A PROLIFIC thief out of prison for less than a year was caught on CCTV stealing £6.88 worth of petrol from a garage.

Darren Smith, 31, travelled to the BP garage in Lower Wick in the back of a taxi before walking into the store and grabbing a £5 fuel can without paying for it.

Smith, of Selsey Close in Worcester, admitted walking over to the pump and filling it with £6.88 worth of unleaded petrol.

Worcester Magistrates Court heard how, with the taxi meter still running, Smith jumped back in the taxi and drove away without paying.

Collette Orton, prosecuting, said Smith did not recall anything from the incident at 7.55am on December 29, 2017 but agreed that it was him in the CCTV images shown by police.

Miss Orton added that Smith had a history dishonesty related offending.

Barry Newton, defending, admitted Smith's record was "not an attractive one" but his last offence before the petrol theft was in February 2016.

Mr Newton said Smith had served a custodial sentence and had been out of prison for almost a year - the petrol theft being the only offence during that time.

He added that Smith "could not remember anything of the incident" and asked for credit for Smith pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity.

Mr Newton said Smith had been compliant with the probation service and had been meeting with his offending manager regularly.

Trevor Higginbotham, chairman of the bench, said he had taken Smith's "good progress" into account.

Mr Higginbotham said: "I'm reducing it from a fine to a conditional discharge.

"You're not being punished however if you do a commit another offence in the next 12 months you will be back in court and almost certainly in custody."

Smith's record of theft goes back more than ten years.

In December 2010, Smith was jailed for stealing £657 - the takings from a gambling machine at the Blackpole Inn in Worcester - dropping £180 of it as he made his way over a roof.

By breaking into the pub in Blackpole Road, Worcester, Smith was also in breach of his curfew which had been put in place over a car burglary.

In March 2012, Smith was given a conditional discharge for admitting four charges of theft including a £255 iPod touch, a sat nav, a mobile phone and a portable DVD screen.

The items were recovered by police after a Northwick resident notified them that a group were trying to open car doors.

The iPod was found in Smith's pocket who insisted that it was his despite being unable to describe the screensaver or identify any of the songs on the device.

The case was heard on Thursday, June 21.